The following is an open letter to a friend who has published articles as to why people should not vote for Ron Paulbecause he has not taken a strong position on certain specific issues (ie. impeachment), as well as this person's fear that leaving laws up to the states will not alleviate the wrongs that the government's violation of individual rights is doing (ie. like imprisoning many people for "victimless crimes").

You seem to be concerned about Ron Paul because he is not addressing a few specific issues that you have come to believe are as, or more, important than the ones he is already addressing. I will try to respond to your concerns as comprehensively as possible:

Ron Paul is the only hope we have to restore freedom in the US and prevent the coming police state and one-world government that those in power are implementing. To expect him to be everything to everyoneand to recommend that people not vote for him if he isn'tis a losing strategy. We all lose if that happens. It is not possible for anyone to be 100% aligned with you... and me... and the next person... and everyone else.

Neither can Ron Paul possibly address every single issue that's important to every single person at this point in time. To expect him to do so is not reasonable or logical. He has to focus on some of the major issues first: ie. the war, the Patriot Act/the Homeland Security organization/the Real ID/, the Income Tax/IRS, the dollar and looming economic disaster, etc. The impeachment issue is not something that will help Ron Paul get elected, nor will it do anyone (him or us) any good whatsoever to become heavily invested in that issue. Ron Paul has no hope of making an impeachment happen at this point in time, as there would not be enough votes to get it passed. So why should he sabotage his own campaign by focusing on that? It is far more important to focus on more major issues and get elected first.

Had you considered that, after he gets elected, he could always have his new attorney general file charges against the current administration for violating the Geneva Conventionslike the Nuremberg trials that took place after WW2?

To accuse meand Ron Paulof not caring about all of the people who have been harmed by the abuses of the government under the current or previous administrations, including imprisoning people unjustly as part of the absurd "drug war", your having been driven out of the country, etc., is also not reasonable or logical. Until (and unless) he gets elected, Ron Paul has no way to change those things or to help anyone. By deliberately trying to sabotage his chances, via focusing so narrowly on just a few issues and blaming him for problems he is not responsible for, you are playing right into the hands of those who want the coming police state, those who caused the problems in the first place. There is no one elseno other candidatewilling (or able) to even try to restore true freedom in the US. Ron Paul has already stated, by the way, that he thinks it is wrong of the federal government to prosecute people using medical marijuana when their states have legalized its use. He has already stated that he is against any and all federal laws that don't fall under the purview of the federal government as per the constitution. Most, if not all, "victimless crime" laws do not fall under that purview.

No candidate can ever satisfy every person on every issue.
To expect (or demand) that is to ensure failure.
It will only allow those who wish to control us to retain
their power by getting their latest puppet elected.

There is no other candidate who stands as strong
regarding the most important current issue:
the restoration of the constitution
and the freedoms it tried to protect.

Regarding leaving issues up to the statesI do have a problem with the states restricting our rights also. (For example, abortion and the "right to die"or, rather, freedom of choiceis another issue that I, personally, feel very strongly about.) In my opinion the constitution needs to protect individual rights from all government intrusion at any level of governmentnot just limit what the feds can or cannot do. But the constitution does not do that now. It would take a constitutional amendment to change that. Until then, the state and local governments, via the majority "will" expressed through voting, will continue to have the ability to harm those who disagree with them. This is a constitutional issuenot something a presidential candidate can do anything about.

So... let's at least rein the government back to a constitutional level and then we can worry about addressing the constitution's flaws by getting an amendment passed that protects the right of an individual's privacy and ability to do whatever he/she wants to with his/her own body. Unfortunately, since many people disagree with that "right", it will take a lot of work to get an amendment like this passed. Againto expect Ron Paul to be able to do something about that now, at this point in time, is not reasonable. Sabotaging his campaign and deliberately trying to make him lose votes will only hurt you... and me... and all of those innocent people in jail... and those many many more people who will likely lose their lives, not just their money or freedom to travel, when the police state really gets into gear if Ron Paul loses this election.

No, Ron Paul is not "perfect". No solution, no candidate, is ever going to be "perfect" from every individual's perspective. He cannot be all things to all people. He is not a cult figure or an idealized substitute for a king. He cannot restore freedom on his own, nor does he want "blind" followers. What he can be is a focal point for our efforts, a general for our "army", a leader who can awaken people to the looming danger and who is willing to endanger his own life to help us take back our country. He is a man worthy of our admiration for his honesty and consistencya man who has worked tirelessly for many years, in whatever way he personally could, to try to restore a constitutional government in this country and spread the message of freedom. He is, at the very least, real change from the lies and fraud. Without him as a focal point, all we have are disjointed, mostly ineffective groups and efforts.

Let's work for something positivea movement in the right directionrather than destroying the only candidate willing to try to restore a constitutional government and avert the coming police state that is set to move in on us fairly quickly once this election is over. Ron Paul needs every vote he can get in the coming Republican primary... and then the election. Instead of attempting to destroy our only hope, please consider getting people to register as Republican now (whether they prefer that long term or not) so as to be able to vote in the primary for Ron Paul. Not enough people realize that, if he doesn't win the primary, they will never get the chance to vote for him for president. They need to vote in the Republican primary too!

Those who can't vote (too young, not US citizens, etc.) can help alsoby introducing Ron Paul and his message of freedom to as many people as possible and/or by supporting his ability to campaign via monetary contributions (even very small ones)every dollar, every effort helps. If you haven't realized it yet, this is an actual war, albeit one that they have waged against us incrementally and mostly via stealth until now. And this election is probably the last major battle of that war if Ron Paul does not win. You can't hide by closing your eyes to it, by not voting, or by running away. They will allow no escape once they have free reign to implement their fascist/socialist one-world governmentwhich is already in progress and will ultimately affect every country in the world. They will be brutal in their implementation and no "conventions" or "piece of paper" or borders will stop them, just as it has not stopped the terror, murder and torture done by our government in our name in Iraq. If we don't fight right now for our freedom, in every way possible, we won't ever have it again in our lifetimes. And don't deceive yourself... you and I and a lot of other people can, and most likely will, lose our lives in addition to our freedom and livelihood. Many people back in the 1930's did not believe that this sort of thing could occur. It did... and can again if we don't take action now. I'm not the kind of person who will meekly line up to board the cattle cars or wait for others to solve the problem, so I can only hope that more people realize what is at stake, before it is too late, and decide to take action.